I have shared these words in a number of places this week, including in the media, in response to the omnipresent divide being driven through Alice Springs. The current unrest has come after the death of an Aboriginal man in Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community with strong ties to Alice Springs.
I re-post my thoughts here as the notion is just as relevant at work as it is in our community. Take a fresh look at how we can all have a powerful effect on that which divides us: difference.
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The emotion in and around Alice Springs at present has me contemplating what happens when we take up arms, but in the form of opinions and ideas.
One camp forms a set of strong beliefs while the other has opposing ideas.
When we hang onto our thoughts as though our lives depended upon them, we block out possibility.
Suddenly, the struggle becomes about struggling.
Perhaps the answer lies in the simplicity of this quote by the philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche:
“A thought, even a possibility, can shatter and transform us.”
We’ve been given an opportunity to stop and connect with each other’s stories; the mothers, the fathers, the leaders, the children and those around the world for whom this situation has relevance.
Above all, it’s a time to connect with the struggle of the 19-year-old teen and his partner in this story, the 28 year old man. Both of whom have been catapulted into another dimension.
Change comes when we are brave enough to connect with a new story; when we commit to that journey through listening – really listening – then being open and willing to walk a path we have never walked before.
Suddenly, we realise we are all on the same journey.
Today, of all days, find a few minutes to start building a bridge with someone who comes from a different camp to you.